Teach Me To Love Again
by Rinny Leonheart
Summary: AU SQUINOA. Two single parents meet under difficult circumstances, each bearing their own cross. Their sons, each desperate for what the other one has, decide to work together to bring back the missing pieces of their broken familes. But can it work when their parents are so reluctant to cross the line?
1. Trouble At Home?

**Rinny Leonheart**

**Summary: AU SQUINOA. Two single parents meet under difficult circumstances, each bearing their own cross. Their sons, each desperate for what the other one has, decide to work together to bring back the missing pieces of their broken family. But can it work when their parents are so reluctant to cross the line?**

Mild Seifer x Rinoa and Squall x Quistis references throughout but the story is predominantly Squinoa as that is my favourite pairing ever.

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Here is a nice new story, which has already been completed by the way so don't worry about me going AWOL again haha. This is one of many stories which I have been working on in the past year that I hope you will enjoy reading. A few cliché or overused ideas, a few twists and a completely different angle on pre-existing story ideas which I felt compelled to work on alongside Love at Angels'.**

**Copyright Disclaimer**: **Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.**

**In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity. The same can be said for any branded items and song lyric one liners that may crop up in my stories. Thank you very much, now I can breathe easy! XD**

**Adult themes and situations, strong language, violence.**

**Teach Me to Love Again**

**Chapter One: Trouble at Home?**

**December 4th**

Ben Almasy fidgeted in his chair, aware of the scrutinising gaze his teacher was giving him. It was afternoon break time for the rest of the class but Ben was being kept inside for causing trouble. Again.

The clock ticked by, time seemed to drag on forever as his fiery brown eyes glared at the cool blue ones of the adult in the room. It should have been rather intimidating to have a six year old look upon him with such contempt but for Squall Leonhart, it was just another day of teaching Ben.

Having arrived at the school three months earlier, at the start of the new school year, Ben had been a very quiet child to begin with. But after the first week he had begun to act out; ignoring his teacher's prompts to get on with his work, causing disruptions to the lessons and even resorting to physically assaulting another student…

Which was the reason he was being kept in this time, he had somehow gotten upset and lashed out during a science lesson, smacking another boy across the face. Squall had tried to be patient with the boy seeing as he was new to the school and new to the island but there was only so much restraint he could show, especially when his malicious intentions turned towards his own son.

Poor Sabre hadn't done anything wrong; he'd just been standing in the wrong place at the wrong time when Ben threw a tantrum and started throwing his punches out. But after the first strike, Ben hadn't stopped his assault on Sabre, who to his own merit had tried his hardest to protect himself rather than retaliate. After wrenching them apart, Squall had sent Sabre to the first aid office with the teaching assistant and had situated Ben into Solitary. Solitary was the space in the far corner of the room reserved for students to reflect in if they got out of hand, and suffice to say, it was not Ben's first session in there either.

He'd felt wretched at not being able to comfort his son as he left the room in tears with the teaching assistant, but once he was in the school building, he had a priority to deal with the troublemakers first before tending to any victims. Ben just stared at him in a silent challenge, daring him to blink. Squall sighed.

"Ben, you really disappointed me today." He began saying to the young boy. "I understand that you were frustrated with the assignment but that was no excuse to hit Sabre. You could have seriously hurt him, don't you understand that? You can't go round hitting people; it isn't a kind thing to do."

Ben snorted, trying not to laugh. Squall felt his temple vein throbbing. He was trying so hard to stay calm; he could not make this a personal vendetta because his son had been hurt. He had to be fair, try to decipher the route of this bad behaviour.

In the building, he had to be a teacher first and a parent second. That was the most difficult decision for him to make this time, never before had Sabre got himself into any kind of bother so Squall had no experience in dealing with this many emotions at one time. It was taking all his self-restraint not to throttle the cheeky boy sitting opposite him.

"I'm glad that you think it was amusing, I was not impressed." He replied sternly, forcing his rage down to his guts. "In light of this incident; I think it is time I spoke to your parents."

"Yeah right. Good luck with that." Ben sneered at him, not offering any more information. Squall was puzzled; he knew all the names of the children in school who were in foster care or under the watch of social services and Ben was not on the list for either, so what had he meant by 'good luck'?

"Would you like to explain that statement Ben?" he asked calmly. The blonde boy shook his head with a smirk.

"Nope! Can I go now?" he asked rudely.

Had it not been for the fact that Sabre was at the nurse's office, Squall would have told him to pipe down and stay put. But he had to go and check on how he was faring, remind him that at least one of his parents still gave enough of a damn about him.

"Yes, but if I hear that you have been misbehaving out there, you will be in Solitary until pickup, understood?" he said, standing up and walking him to the classroom door. Ben ran down the hallway and out of the building to the playground. Squall sighed again and made his way to the first aid office.

Selphie, the teaching assistant was standing outside the door waiting for him. She turned towards Squall and gave him a smile.

"He's absolutely fine Squall, just a little red on one cheek but that's about it." She told him softly. "We had a cold pack on there for a while, so it shouldn't be red later on."

"Thanks Selphie."

Selphie Tilmitt had been working with Squall since the first day he started, having been at the school a year before, she had shown him the ropes around the school and they were now very good friends. She was a lovely young woman, engaged to the school counsellor for almost a year and expecting their first child in early spring. She would be leaving in February next year just after half term. Squall had yet to hear about the headmistress finding a replacement, but she still had two months to hire someone.

"He's a touch little cookie, not unlike yourself. He seems fine but maybe you should go in and see him. I'll go and get the rest of the students in from the playground." She said, starting to walk down the corridor towards the playground.

"We'll be back in class in a few minutes, thanks for the help; I appreciate you bringing him here for me while I dealt with Ben."

"Speaking of the little tyke; what are you going to do with him?" she called out, as he turned towards the door. He lifted his head in her direction.

"I'll arrange a meeting with Ben's parents and see if we can get to the route of his behaviour. That's all we can do for now." He replied and turned his attention back to the room.

He opened the door and the young boy sitting on the plastic orange chair jumped down and rushed over.

"Daddy!" he cried out, running into the arms of his father. "I tried to stop him, you know I did! Please don't be cross with me; I'm sorry!"

Squall stroked his brown hair back out of his son's face and looked into his clear blue eyes. "It's alright Sabre; I'm not cross with you. You tried not to hit him back and that's good enough for me." He said reassuringly. Sabre gave him a tiny smile and hugged him tighter. "Look, instead of doing the grocery shopping later, how about tonight, we go out for pizza and a play at the park instead? Would you like that, son?" he asked with a smile. Sabre's large blue eyes sparkled with delight.

"Really Daddy? You mean it?!" he asked excitedly. Squall's smile grew larger.

"Of course I do, you silly boy." He said playfully, ruffling his fluffy brown hair. "Let's get back to class."

Being a single parent drained him greatly, he had to play both mother and father to his five year old son and it was not an easy thing to do. When Sabre was a year old, Squall's girlfriend Quistis had packed her bags and walked out on them both, saying she couldn't play happy families anymore. Sabre had not been planned; Squall had just landed his job at Balamb Primary while Quistis was working as a lawyer for a local firm, promoted to partner just days before she found out that she was pregnant.

Their relationship had been rather tempestuous but neither of them felt that an abortion was the best solution and tried to stick it out for his sake. But the arguments became too much and Quistis moved out shortly before their son took his first steps, three weeks after his first birthday.

Sabre was turning six in a month's time, just after New Year. It had been nearly five years since Quistis walked out of their apartment and they had heard nothing from her since. In a way, Squall was glad she had left Sabre in his care; he didn't know where Quistis had gone to, and he did not want to fathom how he would have felt if she had taken their son with her. She didn't even send any maintenance for Sabre's upbringing but he didn't care about the money.

He may not have earned as much as Quistis but the hours were much better suited to raise Sabre on his own. He had the same time off with his son now he was in school, day care fees had taken a massive chunk of his remaining salary for the first two years but once Sabre was old enough, Squall had reserved a place in the school nursery so he could pick him up after his lessons were done.

Sabre skipped alongside his father towards the classroom and pushed the door open for him.

"After you Daddy." he said sweetly, causing a ball of pride to puff up in Squall's chest. He had obviously done his part well without the help of Sabre's mother. He didn't need her to raise their son, he was doing fine on his own, and he liked it. Though sometimes he had wished Sabre had the loving mother he deserved to have. Being raised in a single parent household was something Squall knew all too well from experience and there were things only a mother could do that he himself did not know how to.

He would never start dating, at least not for many years; he had no time for such activities anymore. But sometimes, he wondered if he could ever get back into the game completely after having his heart crushed so harshly. He tried hard to keep Quistis happy, but in the end it hadn't been enough to make her want to stay.

* * *

The bell rang, calling for the end of lessons for the day. Squall watched his students collect their belongings from their desks and sit patiently, waiting for him to let them go to their waiting parents outside. He finished writing on the white envelope on his desk, intending to hand it over to Ben's mother or father. He would have given it to Ben himself, but he had trusted him before and the letters did not seem to reach home. He stood from his desk and opened the side door for his students to go through, looking for the person who was collecting Ben that day.

He watched the blonde boy run over towards an elderly lady and made his way across the playground towards them.

"Excuse me?" he called, getting closer to the woman. "Are you Ben's guardian?" he asked.

The woman smiled. "Sort of. I'm Caroline, their next door neighbour, I watch Ben often as a favour to his mother while she is at one of her jobs. Are you Ben's teacher?"

"Yes I am, I'm Mr Leonhart. I was hoping I could speak with Ben's mother or father about an incident today. Could you give this letter to either of them for me?" he offered the envelope towards her and she placed it into her handbag. Ben scowled at the envelope, knowing that he wouldn't be able to dispose of it this time.

"Oh Benny, you haven't been naughty have you?" she scolded the young boy. "Your mummy won't be too happy about that, will she?"

"S'not my fault." He huffed, stalking over to the playground apparatus. The woman leaned over to Squall and spoke in a hushed voice.

"I'll get the letter to his mother for you. I take it this is not the first time you have wanted to contact home about his behaviour?" she whispered. Squall nodded.

"I cannot say anything more, student confidentiality and all but thank you for realising that I do need his parents to read the letter. Please tell them that I urgently need to speak with them face to face on the matter, if it's not too much trouble."

The woman nodded. "You have my word."

She turned in the direction Ben had rushed off to. "Benjamin! Come down from there now, we need to take you home." She called softly to the boy hanging from the monkey bars. The boy scowled again and jumped down with a thud. He made his way to her and glared at his teacher when he reached her side. Squall pretended not to see this.

"I shall see you in the morning Ben, have a nice evening." He said, turning on his heels and walking back into the classroom.

Sabre was stood by the door, waiting patiently for his dad to return.

"Do you have a staff meeting today Daddy?" he asked shyly. Squall shook his head with a cheeky smile and ruffled his son's hair fondly..

"Nope! This time, I'm all yours, now let's go to the park and work up our appetite for dinner!"

* * *

In a small house on the other side of Balamb town, a young woman with dark hair and deep brown eyes looked over the letter she had been given by her neighbour half an hour earlier. Her son was sitting nearby with his dinner in front of him. He kept his head down, he knew she wasn't going to be happy with what she was about to read.

"_Dear Mr and Mrs Almasy, _

_I am writing this letter to inform you that your son Benjamin has been displaying some rather aggressive behaviour since the start of term, and it has been escalating beyond control. We had an incident today whereupon he lashed out during a science lesson and attacked one of his classmates. I have attempted to contact you before by sending letters home, but they do not seem to have reached you. I would like to meet with you to discuss his conduct during school hours, at a time to suit you. Please contact the school secretary to arrange a meeting._

_Sincerely, Mr Leonhart."_

She finished reading aloud and took in a deep breath.

Dark brown eyes fell on the blonde boy sitting at the table opposite, staring into his dinner plate. She cleared her throat, causing Ben to look at her.

"Is this true, Ben? Did you really attack someone in class today?" she asked sternly.

He looked sheepishly at her but answered with a cocky tone. "Yeah I did, so what?"

"'So what?'" she repeated slowly, feeling her temper rising. "Benjamin Cedric Almasy, how can you just sit there and act so blasé about something this serious?!" she asked exasperatedly. "I know you weren't happy about moving here but there is no reason to behave like this!"

"It's a dumb school and I don't like anyone here. Nobody wants to be my friend." He replied sulkily.

"Are you at all surprised, when you act like that?" she said loudly, quickly quietening down. "Ben, sweetheart," she began softly. "I know we've had a lot happen this year but you can't behave like this. Darling this was supposed to be a fresh start, away from all the bad memories of Deling City. Could you try, for me, to be a good boy?"

"Hmph! You are the one who made us move, I didn't want to go in the first place." He muttered. She tried to stay calm and spoke softly to him.

"Baby, we had to, we couldn't stay there-"

"No! _You_ couldn't stay there!" he countered, shoving his plate off the table. It smashed on impacting the wooden floor, sending the remains of his dinner flying across the ground.

"Ben!" she gasped, getting up from her seat and picking up the shards of porcelain from the floor. "Look what you've done!"

"I don't care! I don't like this house, I don't like my school and I don't like you!" he shouted, pushing back his own chair. "I wish it had been you who had died instead of Dad!"

He ran from the room, stomping his little legs harshly on the stairs. He slammed his bedroom door upstairs while his mother was frozen on her spot on the floor. A tear trickled down her face and she tried to wipe it away. But then another fell, and another. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

After a few moments, she stopped her tears and proceeded to pick up the mess her son had created.

"At times like these, I wish it had been me too." She whispered sadly to herself.

**Author's Note II: **What do you think?! I wrote this almost one year ago amongst a few other stories and thought it was about time I posted the first chapter. It's a very different take on my usual stories, having my beloveds paired off pre-story to others but there is a method to my madness I assure you. Thanks for reading!

Completed: 25/09/2013. Posted 21/08/2014.


	2. Getting To The Roots

**Rinny Leonheart**

**Summary: AU SQUINOA. Two single parents meet under difficult circumstances, each bearing their own cross. Their sons, each desperate for what the other one has, decide to work together to bring back the missing pieces of their broken family. But can it work when their parents are so reluctant to cross the line?**

Mild Seifer x Rinoa and Squall x Quistis

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thanks for the reviews so far. I thought I'd do something a little different and it is great to see such positive feedback from it.**

**Copyright Disclaimer**: **Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.**

**In short; I don't own FFVIII and I never will. I only possess a copy of the game, the authorized walkthrough guide and some related game paraphernalia. I use Squaresoft's (Square Enix) idea for a personal formation of my own creativity. The same can be said for any branded items and song lyric one liners that may crop up in my stories. Thank you very much, now I can breathe easy! XD**

**Adult themes and situations, strong language, violence.**

* * *

**Teach Me to Love Again**

**Chapter Two: Getting to the Roots**

It was lunchtime at Balamb Primary the next day and Squall was on his way back to the classroom to enjoy his own meal after escorting his class to the dining hall. He stopped in at the school office on his way and looked through his pigeon hole for the class register and found a note tacked to the cover from the school secretary, informing him that Ben's mother had been in touch and wanted to speak with him straight after school that day. He was relieved that he had received a reply so quickly.

Sitting down at his desk, he pulled out his lunch bag and started to eat. While the school served a fantastic lunch, the portion sizes were a tad too small for his liking, but they were the perfect amount for Sabre's tummy to keep him going until dinnertime. He thought back to last night when they went to the pizzeria. While they waited for their order to be brought to their table Sabre had mucked about colouring in the child's menu, drawing a small picture of him and Squall playing football in the park an hour earlier.

Squall smiled at the memory; Sabre's artworks were getting better and better each day, it was hard choosing which ones would take pride of place on the fridge at home. After the first three or four dozen, Squall finally presented Sabre with a special folder so he could keep all of his pictures in. He then set a rule of all new pictures being dated, staying up for a week on the fridge and then being stored tidily in the folder. More often than not, the fridge was covered, top to bottom, front and sides with pictures Sabre had drawn.

At home he was much livelier than he was in school. It may have been down to the fact his daddy was a teacher and he needed to keep a squeaky clean reputation but once they stepped through their front door of their two bedroom apartment he was a completely different child. He was never a bother, even when Squall had to do his markings and lesson plans, always keeping himself busy in his bedroom so Squall could get his work done faster. Homework was a slight problem; with Sabre being in his class, he had to help him as his father, not as his teacher. He was not a perfectionist by any means, but he did like it when Sabre tried hard to complete his homework.

The bell rang, signalling that the students would be returning to the classroom shortly. He finished the last bite of his sandwich and took a long gulp of his coffee before tidying up his belongings, ready for the afternoon lessons to begin.

Selphie came into the classroom followed by the students who, with the exception of Ben, returned eagerly to their seats. Ben just stomped in and threw down his backpack onto the desk with a bang. Squall sighed.

"Ben, could you please put your bag onto the floor when you come in to the classroom and not hurl it around?" he asked, pulling out the register to take the roll call.

Ben huffed, shoving his belongings onto the ground with a thud. Squall raised an eyebrow but did not say anything further. He would be speaking to the boy's parents later; he just had to keep calm until then.

* * *

The afternoon bell called all too quickly. To Squall's surprise, Ben had not behaved badly, instead he had just sat at his desk staring at the clock. Selphie did the door duty, seeing the other students out to their parents while Squall leafed through his files, searching for Ben's school record folder. She approached Squall's desk.

"Would you like me to take the boys outside while you talk with Ben's parents?" she asked. Squall nodded at her.

"It might be for the best; I would prefer to speak with them first before bringing Ben in to explain his side of the story. Thank you Selphie, let me know if there are any problems."

She beckoned the two boys to come outside with her, leaving Squall alone in his empty classroom. The clock ticked by and after fifteen minutes of waiting, there was no sign of Ben's parents. The playground was empty except for the two boys and Selphie. He frowned, tapping his fingers impatiently on his desktop. Where were they?

He stood up from his desk and began to walk towards the door. He might as well head to the school reception to see if they had signed in as visitors yet or not. When he opened it he found a young woman with striking black hair and shimmering brown eyes staring open mouthed at him, her hand extended as if she was about to knock. He felt a lump form in his throat, taken aback by her beauty. She was dressed in a simple outfit of dark figure hugging jeans, topped with a pale green mohair sweater. Her obsidian locks hung gracefully upon her shoulders, carefully streaked twice at the sides with a golden hue.

"H-hi, can I help you?" he asked her, wondering if she was the new teaching assistant the headmistress was interviewing earlier that day. She stared up at him and a noticeable flush appeared on her cheeks.

"Oh…uh hello." She said softly. "Um, am I at the right room? I'm here to see my son's teacher and I got held up at work and when I got to the school I got lost finding my way to the classroom."

"You must be Ben's mother." he stated calmly, feeling a little deflated. She nodded shyly.

"Yes, I am." She replied. "Are you... Mr Leonhart?"

Squall swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded back. Of course she was Ben's mother; the eyes were a dead giveaway, they were practically identical! It startled him to see those eyes looking upon him so shyly, normally he would see anger and defiance. A lead weight landed in the pit of his stomach. He was immediately attracted to this woman, but from what he just discovered in two sentences from her, she was instantly unobtainable.

"Is it just you, or are we expecting Ben's father?" he asked. She shifted uncomfortably at the question.

"Um… no, it's just me." She replied, standing with one foot in front of the other, holding her hands behind her back.

"Alright then, please come in Mrs Almasy." He stepped aside to allow her entry into the room.

"Oh… actually it's Heartilly. Almasy was my husband's last name. I decided to break tradition and kept my maiden name." she explained quickly as she walked past him. He motioned for her to sit at the chair opposite his desk and watched her cross her ankles carefully as she sat.

"Shall I update you on the previous events that have happened since Ben started here in September, Ms Heartilly? He asked, bringing out a file marked 'Benjamin Almasy'. She noted several sheets of paper within the cardboard fold and gulped.

"Is that all of the negative things he has done since he started?" she asked, in surprise. He nodded back at her.

"Sadly, yes. A majority of them are mild incidents, such as rude manners, disrupting lessons, not doing his classwork etcetera. But then we go onto the more… volatile cases such as yesterday's tantrum."

Her face flushed red in embarrassment and she looked down at her feet.

"How is the other boy who was involved? Ben didn't hurt him too badly, right?" she asked with a tinge of fear in her voice.

Squall immediately felt relieved that Ben's mother wasn't defending his behaviour, denying that her little darling would never act like that and that he was singling him out for being the new kid to the area. She genuinely sounded concerned for the other child too. Most parents would defend their own children to the death if they were called in for any reason.

"He's fine, a little shaken up from it but no marks or bruises." he replied simply.

She sighed in relief, rubbing her left arm awkwardly. This had to be one of the most uncomfortable situations she'd been in when it came to her son.

"Have his parents been called in about what Ben did? I can make him apologise for his behaviour if it will aid in no ill feelings between everyone." She offered. "Mr Leonhart, could you arrange it on my behalf please?"

"That won't be necessary Ms Heartilly. It's all sorted out now." He told her with a wave of his hand. "What I would like to discuss is the reason for Ben's conduct. His record from his old school in Deling was utterly flawless: good grades, excellent behaviour, pretty much an honour student, so I'm surprised at the sudden change in behaviour he's been demonstrating since he started here."

"Yes I know that, but how did you get a hold of his records? Why does the school have them?"

"Oh, well it's a standard protocol when we get new pupils." He explained. "The headmaster requests a copy of the information so we have a good idea of what areas the students excel and struggle with, an idea of their character and if they require any additional help in lessons. But we're going off the subject, why has he gone from being such an outstanding student to a-"

"Pain in the arse?" she offered. He chuckled at her.

"Not the words I would have used in front of the child's parent."

"But it is true." she insisted with an uncomfortable tug at her collar.

"Well..." he hesitated. He could agree with her but if she was anything like her son, he had a feeling that it could come back and become a pain in _his_ arse. He decided not to agree for his own safety. "For libel purposes, I can't say I agree with that phrase. I was thinking of… troubled. So could you tell me anything which may have caused him to behave like this?"

She fidgeted on the chair, rather uncomfortable at the prospect of slandering her own son. But it was true; he had become reckless and out of control.

"Well… I think I know the reason why Ben is acting up," she began. "We only moved here a few months ago, he wasn't happy about leaving Galbadia. He was a lovely kid, he loved his school, had plenty of friends, we were closer to our families… But after…" she paused, trying to think of a way to explain. "I decided to… We had to… Ben and I needed to move." She told him. "I thought it was the best thing, we needed a fresh start somewhere."

Squall looked thoughtfully at her, taking in what little information she had offered and trying to find something that could be an explanation. Her left hand bore no engagement ring or wedding band, though there were thin tan lines that indicated their past residence on her finger. He could only come to one conclusion.

"Forgive me for asking, but are you and Mr Almasy divorced? You didn't mention him; but would it be possible that Ben is acting up because he misses his father?"

Her eyes glazed over with tears. "I know he misses his father, and it's part of the reason we moved away. But no, we're not divorced." She said uncomfortably.

"Separated?" he asked.

"In a sense, yes." She answered, wiping the forming pearls from her eyes in embarrassment.

Squall felt slightly irritated. Ben's mother was almost as difficult as he was. "In what sense is it then, Ms Heartilly?" he asked, running his hand through his thick hair in frustration. "I'm not sure I understand what you're-"

"He's _dead_, okay?!" she cried out, stunning him. "He died after being struck down with a horrible illness six months ago." She wept into her hands, covering her face from his gaze. "One day he was fine then the next he was fighting for his life in hospital. It took less than a week for him to go from completely healthy to dying in the most horrible way possible, we hadn't seen any signs of it coming, it happened so suddenly! So there you go; the reason Ben's dad isn't around is because he died, and that is the reason Ben is behaving so badly, are you satisfied now?!"

He felt horrible, how hadn't he realised that she was trying to explain why Ben's father wasn't with them? Of course the only other option was that he had died, how could he have been so insensitive and stupid?

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know that was why… oh Hyne…" he could hardly speak.

"Maybe I should have explained it to the school when I registered him here but he seemed absolutely fine and I didn't want him to be reminded about it or treated differently so I thought… oh I wish I'd said something sooner!" she sobbed into her hands, not wanting to look him in the eye. "I don't know what to do, just hearing that he'd been behaving so badly… I'm working two jobs that fit in with school hours so I can be home for him; I'm doing my best to… Oh! I'm so embarrassed! Oh Hyne, I am so sorry you had to see me get so upset. I promised myself that I wouldn't do this anymore-"

"It's alright Ms Heartilly, I'm sorry that I didn't try to understand what you were trying to say." He protested, not sure whether or not to try and show some comfort. It was different if a child was distressed; there were many grey areas on how far a teacher was allowed to go in this direction- in some cases even a hug could be classed as gross misconduct. But for an adult, a parent, he would not cross the boundaries despite feeling a strong pull in his chest telling him to do so.

She wiped her eyes and tried to compose herself. "I thought he was dealing with it okay… I mean he has had his moments at home but he never wants to talk about how he is feeling. I tried to help him grieve but he acted so calm and collected after Seifer's funeral I thought he'd accepted it. I feel like such a fool; he's _six_ years old, how can he accept that his father, his _hero_ is dead and won't be coming back?! I was so blinded by my own grief that I didn't see his suffering, oh Hyne I am so selfish!"

"No, you're not selfish at all." He told her kindly. "Don't beat yourself up about this; the school can offer him counselling and outlets for his frustrations and we can even organise some help for you if you want it. We're here to help, not criticize. I'll even deal with him personally if you want me to."

"You want to help him? Can you really?" she asked with a small sniff, her eyes twinkling with hope. He gave her a comforting smile.

"It's one of the reasons why I became a teacher in the first place. I'm pretty certain that I can sort him out for you." He said confidently, leaning back into his chair.

"Oh thank you Mr Leonhart!" she gushed with gratitude.

"Excuse me!" a voice called out, causing the two adults' heads to swivel towards the door. Selphie stood there, holding Ben's arm with Sabre clinging to her leg. "Sorry to interrupt you Squall, but we've just had another um… incident. Ben just pushed Sabre off the slide… _while_ he was using it."

"Ben!" Ms Heartilly gasped, getting to her feet. "Why did you do that?!"

"He didn't go down the slide fast enough, he was in my way!" Ben hissed in defence, wrenching his arm free of the teaching assistant's grip. Okay, she wasn't holding him tightly; she had her hand under his armpit.

"Aren't you in enough trouble for what you did yesterday? Are you trying to make things worse?" his mother demanded in embarrassment. The blond boy shrugged rudely.

Squall stood up from his desk with a sigh and walked over to Selphie, bending down to Sabre's level. "Sabre, are you okay?" he asked. Sabre nodded.

"Yes Daddy. I'm not hurt. It wasn't a big fall of the slide; I was nearly at the bottom."

_Daddy?!_ Ms Heartilly thought in surprise, watching Squall ruffle the boys fluffy brown hair fondly.

"That's not the point though, is it?" He said, and then turned his gaze to the smug blonde child. "Ben you could have really hurt him. I told you the same thing yesterday when I kept you in during break time."

"Yeah yeah, what_ever_." He said rudely. Ben's mother blanched in shock.

"Benjamin! That is so rude! Apologise now to the poor boy!" she said firmly.

"No way, he's a baby, I don't talk to _babies_." He sneered, folding his arms in defiance. His mother's hands shook at her sides, slowly curling into fists.

"You are so much like Seifer when you do that!" she muttered.

Squall's keen eyes noted her frustration and tried to diffuse the situation. Whether she would actually strike her son or not, he wasn't sure, but the idea of it happening in his presence, on school property was something he did not want to witness.

"Selphie, can you take Sabre to the staff room?" he asked, slowly stepping between Ben and his mother. "I'll wrap things up here and pick him up in a few minutes."

"Okay, I'll see you soon." Selphie replied. "Come on Sabre, let's go and raid the staff room vending machines; I'll bet daddy won't mind if I get you a few chocolate bars!" she giggled, leading the young boy from the room.

He turned to Ms Heartilly, her hands now unclenched, taking deep breaths and gave her a reassuring smile.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, don't worry. Believe me when I say I have dealt with kids a lot more stubborn than your boy." He told her, indicating to her son over his shoulder. She returned his smile cryptically.

"I'm not sure if you're trying to make me feel better, but thank you nonetheless." She replied. "Was it your son that Ben hurt yesterday?" she asked hesitantly. "Is that why you were apprehensive about arranging a meeting?"

Squall scratched behind his head awkwardly. "Well uh… like I said, it's been done now so no point in worrying." He assured her. "I can see that you were bothered by the fact that he had been hurt and that to me is good enough, even if Ben did not apologise."

"Hey, don't talk about me like I'm not in the room!" he piped up aggressively. His mother sighed impatiently.

"If you hadn't been so naughty, then we wouldn't be here to talk about you. I think we should go; I am sure Mr Leonhart has things to do." She looked apologetically at Squall. "On behalf of my son I would like to apologise for his behaviour up to this point, and thank you for bringing it to my attention." She said with a small bow of her head.

"Thank you Ms Heartilly." He replied, taking in the sincerity of her voice.

"Please, call me Rinoa," she said with a smile. "I feel so old being called 'Ms Heartilly' all the time." He gave her a smile back with a nod.

"We'll start on a fresh slate tomorrow morning Ben."

"Yes you will." Rinoa replied, referring to both of them. She walked past the desks and ushered her son out of the door. Stopping partway into the hall she turned her head back into the room.

"Please don't hesitate to contact me if he does anything else. I'd appreciate it, no matter what the time is." She told him. "I left all of my phone numbers with the school secretary, so it will be easier to update me than having to send letters out. Have a pleasant evening; give my regards to your son too-"

"Mom, hurry up!"

He watched her as she was tugged away from the door by her son, closing it behind her. He returned to his desk and began writing some notes in the file he had shown Rinoa earlier.

_03/12: Had a discussion with Ben's mother this evening. Behaviour stems from the sudden and unexpected loss of his father and having been uprooted from what he knows. Suggested counselling sessions which mother seems happy with being arranged. Could do with some one-on-one activities which will be looked into as an outlet for his frustrations. Mother too, could benefit from some grievance therapy as she is struggling with her own unhappiness. Will suggest this at a later date._

He closed the file and collected his belongings, locking the door before he went off to the staff room to retrieve his own son. He entered the room to see Sabre with his mouth and hands full of chocolate.

"Looks like you won't be eating any dinner later." He scolded playfully, setting down his briefcase and lunch bag on a nearby sofa. Selphie came over to him with a large cup of coffee in her hands.

"So what did she say?" she asked, handing the beverage over to him. He took a long swig and set it down on the table. Taking a sly glance at Sabre, who was happily munching away on his chocolate bar he turned to her and whispered quietly.

"She's devastated by his behaviour but the reason he is acting out is because he is grieving. Turns out his father passed away a few months ago very suddenly. It seems that she couldn't cope being surrounded by memories of her husband that she moved them here to get a fresh start."

Selphie blinked in surprise. "The poor kid… so that's why he's been so difficult." She said softly. He nodded.

"I was in his shoes at one point, so I can relate to how he must be feeling."

"You mean with Quistis?" she whispered. He shook his head.

"No, I was in the same situation as Ben." He confessed slowly.

"You lost your father when you were a child?" she asked him in confusion. "I thought you go to visit him in Esthar regularly during the holidays?" He coughed slightly.

"We do Selphie. Actually it was my mother who was the one who died."

"Squall I am so sorry." She said regretfully. He shook his head at her sympathy.

"Don't be; it was such a long time ago. But the point is that I think I can help. I want to help him come to terms with it. His mother seems to be suffering too, so much that she couldn't see how her son was dealing with his grief."

Selphie nodded in agreement. "I saw that too; she looked so… lost. Maybe uprooting her son and bringing him here seemed like the best solution but doesn't she realise that running away wouldn't solve anything?" she suggested.

"Yes, I think she knows that. But moving back probably won't fix anything now. The damage caused by her husband's death is irreversible at this stage. All we can do is offer them support. I'll speak with Irvine in the morning about offering Ben some counselling sessions."

"I could do that for you tonight if you wanted Squall." She offered but he quickly turned her down.

"It will be much better if I do it, I know he's your fiancé but as Ben's teacher, I need to do it myself and make sure it goes on record. I appreciate your willingness to help though Selphie. And thanks for keeping an eye on Sabre for me; I know you would have preferred to go straight home today. You must be exhausted after chasing round after those two outside."

She rubbed her plump tummy fondly, shaking her head. "It keeps me in good shape, besides I'll have my own little terror to chase after soon." she giggled. He found himself returning her laugh.

"You have four months left." He reminded her. "And with any luck you'll have at least two years before you need to do actual chasing. Sabre was walking too darn early for me to be prepared."

Sabre ran up from his seat and looked at Selphie with big eyes.

"Can I feel the baby this time Selphie? Please?" he asked with a high pitched whine in his voice, that Selphie always fell for hook, line and sinker. She smiled.

"Oh go on then, I know you're dying to." she lifted her yellow smock top up so he could get a feel. His little hands rubbed her enthusiastically, his eyes lighting up as he felt the baby roll around in her tummy.

"Oooh! Daddy, feel it kicking!" he told Squall. Feeling slightly uncomfortable with the idea he shook his head.

"I'll pass this time-" he was abruptly interrupted by Selphie grabbing his hand and shoving it onto her bare stomach.

"Squall it's fine, see?" she told him, keeping her hand over his. He flushed.

"If Irvine saw this he'd be pretty annoyed." He muttered. Selphie raised her eyebrow at him and chuckled at his comment.

"Seriously Squall? That man is so proud of himself he wants everyone to touch it! I can't go out shopping with him anymore, without him getting some stranger to have a feel!"

He felt the baby kicking under his palm and pulled his hand away.

"How are you not bothered by such an invasion of your personal space? Quistis hated it." He admitted into her ear, so Sabre couldn't hear him. Selphie rolled her eyes at him.

"No offense, but Quistis hated everything. And she wasn't exactly maternal now, was she?" she told him softly. He hung his head in defeat.

"Yeah…"

"Look, I don't mind, in fact I am happy to get the extra attention." She grinned as Sabre's eager hands continued to stroke her belly. "Especially from this little angel!"

Squall glanced at the clock and realised it was getting late. The meeting with Ben's mother had taken longer than expected and it was almost five o'clock.

"I think we should head off now little man." Squall smiled. "Selphie needs to go home and we've got grocery shopping to do tonight, remember?"

Sabre sighed heavily and moved his hands down to his sides. "Yes Daddy…"

* * *

Author's Note II: Thanks for checking in with me guys! I've got more chapters for this finished finished and will post them up soon, also working on a few other stories which I hope you will enjoy when I get around to uploading them xxxx


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